Blog May 18, 2010
The Supreme Court and Life without Parole
On May 17, 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in a 6 – 3 decision that life sentences without the chance of parole for crimes (except murder) committed by juveniles was unconstitutional, in violation of the Eighth Amendment that prohibits cruel and unusual punishment. In the case before the court two juveniles — Joe Sullivan, who raped a 72-year-old woman when he was 13, and Terrance Graham, who committed armed burglary when he was 16 — were sentenced to life without the possibility of…
Blog May 15, 2010
The $100,000 bed
About a week ago someone sent me a story in the Pahrump Valley Times about a proposed new jail. For those not familiar with Pahrump, it is a town of about 25,000 located about 60 miles west of Las Vegas. The County Commissioners decided to issue $25.5 million in general obligation bonds for the project. The proposed jail would hold about 225 people. That turns out to be $113,000 per bed. The report noted that the County “will take advantage of Build America Bonds under the American…
Blog May 12, 2010
Therapy that Works for the Youth
Senior Research Fellow Randy Shelden’s recent blog, titled ” The Washington State Institute for Public Policy researched a program that has demonstrated the ability to be successful with juvenile justice involved youth with mental health issues. The results are in…Dialectic Behavioral Therapy (DBT) does reduce recidivism, thus reducing the related costs to taxpayers. DBT, devised by Marsha Linehan, to treat clients with Borderline Personality Disorders is composed of four major modules:…
Blog Apr 30, 2010
Death Penalty Vs Life Imprisonment
Death in Decline ’09 a report by The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Northern California explores life imprisonment as an alternative to the death penalty. It also makes a correlation between the present financial crisis and fair trials. CJCJ’s recently released “Capital punishment has a mandatory three level review process, thus a death penalty case may take between 25 to 30 years before execution with a reaching costs of up to $137 million per year. For example, the resources…
Blog Apr 30, 2010
Juvenile Justice Can be a Death Trap for Kids
We’ve always known that locking up kids is counterproductive, that it promotes isolation and lethargy among youths confined, and that it results in harsher treatment by decision makers throughout the process. Terry Kupers, an expert on trauma, has observed that these institutions tend to destroy “a prisoner’s ability to cope in the free world.” Moreover, “a lack of rehabilitation opportunities, excessive reliance on isolation as punishment, the restriction of visits and contacts with the…